A wrestling “gold rush” on the afternoon of December 18 added to Vietnam’s growing medal tally at the 33rd SEA Games.
The highlight was Vietnam’s 70th gold medal, claimed by Nguyen Thi My Trang, who captured the women’s 57 kg freestyle title with a dominant 10-0 victory over Myanmar’s Thae Thaint Thaint Thu in the final.
Earlier in the day, Do Ngoc Linh secured gold in the women’s 50 kg category after an emphatic 8-0 win over Khaing Sabah of Myanmar, while Nguyen Thi My Linh added another gold with a convincing 10-0 victory over Thailand’s Kaewkhuanchum Nattakarn in the decisive bout. Competing in four women’s weight categories, Vietnam’s wrestling team swept all four gold medals on offer.
In team sports, Vietnam’s men’s volleyball team defeated Indonesia 25-21 in the opening set of their semifinal, raising hopes of an upset. However, in men’s beach volleyball, despite a determined performance, the Vietnamese duo lost 0-2 to the hosts, Thailand, in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, a four-player men’s sepak takraw team staged an impressive comeback to beat hosts Thailand 2-1 in the semifinal, earning a place in the final against Myanmar at 5:00 p.m. on December 18. Earlier, the women’s four-player team also advanced to the final after a 2-0 win over Myanmar, setting up a title clash with Thailand at 4:00 p.m. the same day.
In archery, Vietnam claimed a silver medal in the mixed team compound event, while in triathlon, the Vietnamese team failed to secure a medal in the mixed relay duathlon.
